Hotel project denied variance for parking spots

A vote last night at City Hall throws doubt into whether By-Pass 123 in Seneca will get a 100-room hotel.  The zoning board of appeals rejected property owner Kishyam LLC’s request to vary from the required parking spaces by 18%.  Property owner representative John Adams of Adams Commercial Real Estate sought permission to build the project with 29 fewer parking spaces than which city regulations require.  According to a motion by appeals board member John Gillespie, granting the variance would be detrimental to adjacent properties and out of character to the immediate area. Board actions are appealable to the circuit court. The property, which looks down on Lake Keowee, is 2.68 acres and is zoned highway commercial, but residential neighbor Dan Brower of Harbor Drive said he’s concerned about parking and questioned whether the hotel and the adjoining retail portion of the project would access side streets.  Outside City Hall after the vote, Adams said the partners in the project will now have to decide whether it’s now financially feasible for them to go forward. At their desks, the appeals board members had drawings of what the project would entail.  Besides the hotel, there would be a separate building for a retail aspect and a third structure was described by Adams as a future extended-stay amenity.  No brand name for the hotel was given during last night’s hearing, but speculation last year indicated it might be some kind of a Marriott product.  Appeals board member Tammy Garland said she visited the property and used the word “awesome” to describe what the project looks like in the drawings.